This application relates to postage stamp dispensers, particularly to dispensers for dispensing stamps from a roll of backing material, and more particularly to dispensers of the hand held type.
Postage stamp dispensers for dispensing postage stamps from a release liner of backing material in roll form are related to pressure sensitive label dispensers but with the stamps having an inherent value that precludes the use of label dispensing devices and techniques with which excessive dispensing or waste can occur. Label dispensers that dispense labels directly onto a substrate are particularly unsuitable for dispensing stamps onto envelopes for individual consumer use in that dispensing errors and stamp loss too often occurs. Furthermore, most label dispensers are suitable for high use applications which makes them too complex and costly for consumer use as stamp dispensers. Stamp dispensers for individual consumer use must be inexpensive to make and simple to use.
The trend of the U.S. Postal Service to provide stamps has resulted in the proposals for small stamp dispensers for dispensing pressure sensitive adhesive coated postage stamps from rolls of backing material. The proposed dispensers of the prior art have several disadvantages, such as requiring long leaders of backing material at the beginning of a roll for the roll to be loaded into the dispensing device. This requires that several stamps, often dollars worth of stamps, be removed from the roll upon loading of the roll into the dispenser. Other devices provide poor control of the length of the stamp roll being fed from the dispenser, making it difficult to control the number of stamps dispensed.
Furthermore, dispensers of the prior art that function to remove an adhesive backed item from a backing layer are not suitable for storage in plane view or where they are conveniently at hand for use when needed.
For these and other reasons there is a need for a postage stamp dispenser that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a postage stamp dispenser that is particularly useful for the display of decorative, promotional and advertising material. A particular objective of the present invention is to provide a postage stamp dispenser having a functional core that is particularly adapted to be used with interchangeable outer structure to display different promotional or decorative matter. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a functional postage stamp dispenser that is sufficiently low in cost to produce that it can economically be provided at low or no charge to consumers as an advertising or promotional item.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a postage stamp dispenser that will dispense pressure sensitive coated postage stamps from a roll of backing material or release liner in a way that provides the user with reliable control over the number of stamps dispensed and avoids waste of stamps, particularly a dispenser that reliably dispenses a single stamp at a time.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, there is provided a personal postage stamp dispenser with which one can easily remove individual postage stamps of the pressure sensitive adhesively backed type from their release liner backing strips. The dispenser is particularly suited for use as an advertising or promotional article.
The dispenser can be economically produced so that it can be given away as a promotional item. In its preferred form, the dispenser is hand-sized and supported on wheels or rollers so that it can rest on the top surface of a desk or tabletop. As so mounted, it will be prominently located so that promotional or decorative material on its cover is conspicuously displayed and receives high exposure. The dispenser operates by moving it by hand across the supporting surface of the desk or tabletop. Linkage connected to and driven by the wheels or supporting rollers feed the backing strip around a peeling edge which peels the stamps individually out of the housing of the dispenser into the free hand of the user. The linkage can feed the stamps at any ratio to the distance that the dispenser is moved, and preferably calls for motion that is substantially greater than the dimension of the stamps being dispensed, preferably five to one or ten to one.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings.